Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s first address on the world stage at the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) will be followed by several meetings of international and regional importance.
Sources confirmed to The Hindu that officials are trying to work out a schedule for a possible meeting between Mr. Modi and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on the sidelines of the UNGA.
External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj will also meet her Israeli counterpart on October 1 for a bilateral meeting, which is expected to set the course for future engagements. The meeting with the Israeli leadership will be significant for several reasons. This will be the first meeting since the Gaza crisis, where India nuanced its position between Israel and Palestine. Israel was among the handful of countries Mr. Modi visited before becoming Prime Minister, and the BJP had advocated recognising Israel before the Centre did so in 1992.
Modi-Sharif meet remains uncertain on UNGA sidelines
India’s reaching out to Israel, as well as a possible meeting with Palestinian Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas will be a distinct departure from previous years, when the Prime Minister used the post-UNGA speech windows to meet regional leaders.
In 2013, former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh met with leaders of Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh on the sidelines of the UNGA.
While the Ministry of External Affairs has confirmed a meeting with Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina this year, a meeting with Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa is also expected on September 27, soon after Mr. Modi’s speech that morning.
Sharif meet?
While both Indian and Pakistani governments say there is “no proposal” for Mr. Modi to meet Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, their schedules in New York overlap by a couple of days. Speculation over a possible meeting grew as officials confirmed that Pakistan High Commissioner Abdul Basit met National Security Adviser Ajit Doval and Foreign Secretary Sujatha Singh on September 13, before he flew back to Islamabad for consultations.
A Pakistani official described the meetings as “constructive and useful engagements,” but couldn’t confirm if a summit-level meeting is planned.
Sources say much will depend on Mr. Sharif’s speech at the UNGA a day before Mr. Modi’s.
Last year, Mr. Sharif’s reference to “the suffering of people in Jammu and Kashmir” had led to a sharp retort by Mr. Singh who had called Pakistan the “epicentre of terrorism” in South Asia. Given that no meeting has been scheduled yet between the leaders, their speeches will be watched keenly for any signs of a possible revival of the Foreign Secretary-level talks that were cancelled in July.
